Cedar Boys doesn’t pull any punches. The chaotic, carefully scripted world of Sydney youth culture as seen from the viewpoints of the three protagonists flaunts a heavy hip-hop & techno soundtrack to match the cars, clubs and drugs that are so prevalent in the city we live in. It’s confronting for the audience to step into so vividly – not simply because the potrayal is so real, so close to home – but because it’s a world that the majority of Sydneysiders never acknowledge. You could almost hear the shifting seats in the cinema as the story unfolded on our very streets.

Sydney’s always been a city divided by wealth. More recently we’ve seen these divisions multiply to encompass racial and cultural gaps as well (witness Cronulla 2005) – as what goes normally unsaid flares up – we suffer gang warfare, hate crimes and a systematic dumbing down by a generally witless media offering Black & White solutions to endemic cultural and economic problems.

Writer & Director Serhat Caradee has no qualms diving into discuss the complexity of these issues through his narrative. The Cedar Boys of the film could be any working class kids; but the fact they’re second generation immigrants who speak Arabic at home and try as they might, can’t fake the relaxed & comfortable confidence of the whitefolk to fit in – highlights the struggle to break out of their tax brackets. Not that they’re apologetic about being of Lebanese background in the slightest. Nor should they be – some of the best moments of dialogue come from the distinct pride and irreverence shown in the face of stereotypes – especially early in the film, lending Tarek, Sam & Nabil a cheeky larrikinism that can only be described as distinctly Australian.

There are some real laugh out loud moments here in what is a heartfelt story of mateship, loyalty and the pain of wanting to be a part of something bigger. The film takes on some heavy themes and carries itself with a respectable swagger, unafraid to throw its weight around to flip an issue on its side. At the same time it also takes time to pause and reflect on who these people really are, their family life, the day-to-day stuff that may not have great bearing on the plot but still brings a powerful payoff for the journey of the film. It’s an excellent technique for what could easily fall into the trap of action-action-action as the stakes get higher.

It’s an ensemble piece lead by Les Chantery, Waddah Sari & Buddy Dannoun but even the minor roles and cameos are very strong. It’s an engrossing film experience, with some minor flaws in the staging or storyline like the bizarre placement of Ian Roberts as a nightclub bouncer and one or two loose ends for characters left unresolved. I wanted to see more of Rachael Taylor’s journey as (without giving too much away) her character Amie was left on an interesting precipice. But these issues are incidental on the whole. It draws you in and keeps you there until the end and that’s a credit to the cast and crew.

I should mention for full disclosure that I have known the writer and director of Cedar Boys Serhat Caradee since his days emerging at AFTRS, so I had some big expectations for his debut feature (glad to say they were met and then some). Although I haven’t seen him in about seven years I now know why. He’s been working on the film. It shows.

When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl’s aunt Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detective freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons – they’re not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live. As the case progresses, Kenzie and Gennaro face drug dealers, gangs and pedophiles. When they finally solve the case, they are faced with a moral dilemma that tears them apart.

Neglected wife Jean Harper is looking for an innocent diversion when she signs onto a matchmaking website. But when the daily correspondence gets heated, Jean agrees to meet her handsome stranger. What she finds is a dead man. Authorities find the incriminating emails, and Jean’s fantasy turns into a real-life nightmare.

Stuntman Mike is a former Hollywood stunt race car driver who targets and kills women with his “death-proof” stunt car. In Act I, Mike surfaces in Austin, Texas to target a group of women whom he knows; Jungle Julia an outgoing, dope-smoking, radio DJ/fashion model meeting her old school friends for a night on the town whom are sentimental model Arlene, and local bad-girl Shanna, as well as bar-nut hippie Pam who tries to make Mike notice her, unaware of his sociopath and misogynist tendencies. In Act II, Stuntman Mike surfaces in Tennessee where he randomly picks another another group of women to stalk all of whom work in the motion picture business; Abernathy is a make-up girl and stand-in wanting a change of pace in her life. Lee is a naive B-movie actress. Kim is a tough-minded stunt woman always wanting action. And Zoe is a fellow stunt woman from New Zealand visiting her friends. However, the second set of girls proves more though to get, and because of a combination of bad luck and Stuntman Mike’s carelessness, the girls decide to turn the tables on their tormentor for revenge of their own…

Seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father Bryan Mills. Bryan is a retired agent who left the Secret Service to be near Kim in California. Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart. Kim manages to convince her reluctant father to allow her to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When the girls arrive in Paris they share a cab with a stranger named Peter, and Amanda lets it slip that they are alone in Paris. Using this information an Albanese gang of human traffickers kidnaps the girls. Kim barely has time to call her father and give him information. Her father gets to speak briefly to one of the kidnappers and he promises to kill the kidnappers if they do not let his daughter go free. The kidnapper wishes him “good luck,” so Bryan Mills travels to Paris to search for his daughter and her friend.

In this 6-story anthology collection, Batman faces new villains and old ones in a time-line after Batman Begins. In “Have I Got A Story For You”, 3 kids tell wildly different stories about Batman during a fight through Gotham. “Crossfire” focuses on two policemen who end up getting in the middle of a crime battle. “Field Test” has Lucius Fox creating a new technology for Batman, but is it too powerful? “In Darkness Dwells” features Killer Croc and Scarecrow, who have kidnapped a priest. “Working Through Pain” goes through flashbacks of Bruce Wayne’s training while Batman finds his way through the sewers. Finally, “Deadshot” focuses on the titular sniper, who has a new target in Gotham.

Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again. When a Rookie cop named Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces from the shadows of Central City. The Octopus who kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face who has other plans. He’s going to wipe out the entire city. The Spirit tracks this cold hearted killer from the city’s rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill the masked crusader.